2014 Tampa Bay Tour de Clay, December 13 & 14, Blends Science, Math, Art

Shelves filled with glazed mugs, bowls, and other 

functional pieces of service ware are ready to be 

rolled into the gas-fired kiln at San Antonio Pottery, 

the last stop on the south-to-north route of the 2014 

Tampa Bay Tour de Clay. Each studio has different 

types of kilns and uses different firing techniques. 

(Image courtesy of Jack Boyle)

Science and math teachers may want to take a field trip this weekend to five local science labs aka ceramic studios. The studios form the stops on the 2014 Tampa Bay Tour de Clay, a weekend-long ceramics open house.

Ask San Antonio potter Jack Boyle about the scientific method, for instance, and he’ll bring out one of his hundreds of notebooks recording decades of firing experiments. “I’m looking for the thread of consistency that will help me understand how to get similar results each time,” said Boyle. “A change in the barometric pressure or the way I stack the pieces in the kiln can change the way the glazes work.”

Talk about the physics of kiln building with Lutz potter Harry Welsch, who taught AP Physics for many years. Or discuss the chemistry behind glazes with Odessa potter Kim Kirchman, also a professor at St. Petersburg College in Clearwater, or with any of the other artists participating in this year’s Tour.

“For me, pottery was a way into other subjects like math and science,” said Glen Woods, of Palm Harbor. 

This year’s Tour takes place December 13 and 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Guests can pick up a passport at any location, have it stamped at all locations, and be entered into a drawing for prizes. Each studio also holds raffles in support of various local charities, including radio station WMNF.

The Tour allows visitors to see the artists’ studios, learn how the pieces are made, participate in the excitement of watching pieces emerge from the kiln—and learn some math and science in the process.

The Tour is listed in south-to-north order, with kiln openings scheduled accordingly. Visitors can start at any point and create their own tour.

Demonstrations, music, and other events are scheduled throughout both days.

·      PotteryBoys Clay Studios, 30 Bogie Lane, Palm Harbor; 727-736-4870. potteryboys.com and www.crystallineboys.com. Kiln opening at 9 a.m. Saturday. Owners Glenn Woods and Keith Herbrand; guest artists Cory McCrory, William Kidd, Chuck Solberg, and Teresa Testa.

·      Clay andPaper Studio, 110 Peterson Ave., Palm Harbor; 727-772-9570. claypaper.com. Kiln opening at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Owner Ira Burhans; guest artists Alan Bennett and Brenda McMahon.

·      HiddenLake Pottery, 16705 Hutchinson Rd., Odessa; 813-920-4341. Facebook page online. Kiln opening at 2 p.m. Saturday. Owners Kim Kirchman and Mark Fehl; guest artists Chuck McGee, LC McGee, Kimberli Cummings, McKenzie Smith, Jonathan Barnes, and Trevor Dunn.

·      Wellmanand Welsch Pottery, 17202 Whirley Rd., Lutz; 813-961-7106. wellmanandwelschpottery.com. Kiln opening at 3 p.m. Saturday. Owners Harry Welsch and Kim Wellman; guest artists John Kellum, Laurie Landry, Charlie Parker, and Matt Schiemann.

·      SanAntonio Pottery, 11903 Curley Road, San Antonio; 352-588-4228. santantoniopottery.net. Kiln opening at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Owner Jack Boyle; guest artists Michele Ginouves, Hil-Dee Bates, Maggie Clark, Barbara Ott, and Joel Ott.

All-day Demo at Studio Adams' Grand Opening

Sunshine and blue skies and I'm throwing clay on the porch of a 1918 Craftsman-style house, beautifully restored inside and out by owners Sue Adams and son Jesse and furnished with lots of creative artwork! Can't ask for a better day....

North Pinellas Studio Waltz this Saturday, October 4

Some of my latest saggar work -- but wait until you see the very latest!

I will have it on display at the North Pinellas Studio Waltz tomorrow, October 4, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can download a map from the link above.

The address is 320 Lagoon Drive in Ozona.

Go west on Tampa Road past US 19 and past Alt 19 to Orange Street in Ozona. Turn left onto Orange Street and go south to Lagoon Drive. Turn right on to Lagoon Drive -- the house is about half way down on the right.

The wheel will be turning, and I will demonstrate throwing and burnishing techniques. Grab a cookie and chat a while!

Same But Different

Same glaze, same firing.

What made the difference? The clay!

The one on the left is a speckled brownstone, and the one on the right is a white stoneware.

Odds & Ends

To the left is one of my flower holders -- the bowl part holds the water, the upright tubes hold a small assortment of cut flowers, and openings in the bottoms of the tubes allow the water to fill the tubes and keep the flowers fresh. Pictured with the flower holder are two small saggar-fired pots.




To the right are some of my miniature Pegasus series pots.



Below is an Anagama-kiln fired pot in a more classical style -- dressed up for the holidays.
 

Rock and Roll Throw-a-Thon!

 6 + 12 = 18?

Don't be too sure!

 Check it out! This weekend I'll be one of six potters -- that's the 6 -- throwing on two wheels -- 6 x 2 = 12, so that's the 12 -- each at the Rock & Roll Throw-a-thon at the Morean Center for Clay at the Train Station aka St. Petersburg Clay Company.

My guess is I'll whip out 40 or 50 bowls, pots, and jars easy. In one day.

Times 6 x 2 days ... we just might produce 600 or more objects this weekend!

Does Guinness have a spot for us?

The address?

420 22nd Street S. in St. Petersburg.

Look for us in the back section of the old train station.

I'm told the music will be crankin' ... and so will we! Come cheer us on.

Face Choir

A couple of years ago, I explored making face jugs.

My wife called them ogre jugs. "Think of Shrek and Jack Prelutsky's Ogre's Awful Day," she said. Jack Who? In any case, they made me laugh -- still do. But they were primitive, raw.

Still, there was something about creating a human-like face. Shaping the skeletal structure -- the cheekbones, the brow bones, the noses, the ears -- was amazing. Watching the face jugs come to life and acquire personality? More than amazing.

These past few months, I've been playing with a different kind of face, a face that emerges from the clay more than is the clay.

The result? My Face Choir.

A friend calls them my Pot Heads.

In any case, they are planters; so think of them with plants growing from the tops of their heads.

An ensemble group will be appearing with me this weekend at the Art Arbor Festival at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve (1101 Country Club Way S., 33705) in St. Petersburg. Stop by and say 'hi' to the guys.